A New Flame
by AstralFlame
Summary: A Team Flare grunt decides to change his life, and leaves the team. He wants to become someone who people will look up to, but first he must gain their trust, which is not as easy as it sounds. This is my second ever fanfiction, based on Pokémon X.
1. Goodbye and farewell

_Dear members of Team Flare,_

_With this letter, I want to announce my departure from Team Flare. I have decided that I no longer want to be involved in the criminal activities this organization holds. I can never walk in public without people pointing in my direction, or staring at me, wondering what evil things I will do next. Everyone tries to avoid me, because they are scared. I don't want to live like that for the rest of my life. I want to become someone people can look up to, someone who, after I die, will be remembered as a good person. Therefore, I will leave Team Flare, and start over from scratch. I want to thank you for the great years I could spend together with the other grunts. I have many great memories from the things we did together, and I will never forget them. But now is the time that I must choose for myself, and do what I think is right. Maybe I will see you guys again one day, but then I will be standing on the other side. Goodbye and farewell._

_Grunt E. Zero_

* * *

><p>"I hope I never have to write anything like that again." The young grunt threw his pen in the corner of the room. He got up from his chair and looked at the beds behind him. The other grunts were still sleeping, even though one of them snored loud enough to wake up a deaf man. "At least I never have to deal with that again."<p>

He walked to the sink, at looked at himself in the mirror. A young boy, seventeen years old looked back at him, without a trace of a smile on his face. He kept thinking about the last words he wrote in his letter. "As soon as I leave this building, I am no longer a grunt. How would the people call me? As long as they don't call me E-" He couldn't even get the word out of his mouth, so much did he hate his name. "As long as they don't call me by my real name."

He stood there for another minute, looking at his reflection, thinking about what he was about to do. He knew that there was no turning back now. His decision stands, and that's it. Every night again, he dreamt about himself as a successful man, standing at the center of attention. Everywhere he went, people recognized him. He had all the money he wanted, and every girl wanted to be with him. And he knew that one day, that dream would come true.

With that dream in his mind, he looked at the grunt a last time, before heading outside. He carefully closed the door behind him, ensuring that he wouldn't wake anyone up. A shiver went down his spine, as he walked through the halls of the Team Flare Headquarters. Usually, the rooms were lighted brightly with red lights, but now everything was shrouded in a dark shadow. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, afraid that someone would notice him. He put one foot on the stairs, and looked back once more. "Farewell Team Flare. I hope we'll never meet again."

It was cold outside, but it didn't bother the ex-grunt. He looked across the streets of Lumiose City, and saw a few people walking around. No matter what time it is, there are always people on the streets of the Kalos capital. He decided to go left, straight to the Prism Tower. From there, he would decide what he would do, and where he would go.

As always, everyone immediately looked at him when he passed by. People abruptly paused their conversations, afraid that he might hear something. 'It's going to take some time to gain their trust', he thought to himself. An older woman hastily crossed the street, avoiding a confrontation with him. At first, these things really brought him down, but he got used to it. 'I'm just lucky that the Kalos Protection Law still exists, otherwise I would have to disguise myself.'

The Kalos Protection Law says that you cannot arrest someone, as long as they are not actively taking part in a criminal event. Before this law, members of Team Flare were arrested every day, for no other reason as simply existing. Luckily for them, Professor Sycamore had a lot more sympathy for the Team Flare grunts, and created a law to make them able to at least walk safely in public. However, it did not change people's perspective at all, and they still want to lock up a grunt when they see one.

That reminded him of something. 'Professor Sycamore has a Pokémon Lab here in Lumiose City. There must be a lot of Pokémon in there. If I can just get in there, and take a Pokémon, I can start my journey!' But the thought of stealing a Pokémon right at the start of his new life didn't appeal to him. 'I need to have a Pokémon if I want to do anything here, but I don't have one. I can't catch one either, and I'm pretty sure nobody is going to give my one for free either. Stealing a Pokémon seems to be the only thing I can do.'

He took a deep breath and started walking. He ignored the other pedestrians, who suspiciously looked at him as he passed by. After living in Lumiose City for seventeen years, he knew all the streets blindly, and he found Sycamore's Lab within a few minutes. This wasn't the first time he would break into the Pokémon Lab; he had been on a couple of mission with Team Flare to steal some valuable technology, so he knew exactly where to go. At the back of the building, behind the bushes, there was one window that was always slightly opened, which leads directly to the main hall. From there, you could go anywhere in the Pokémon Lab.

He walked up to the fence, and looked around. Luckily, there was nobody to see. He swiftly jumped over the fence and ran to the back. 'At least nobody can see me here.' As always, the window was ajar, and soon he was inside the Lab. Unlike the other times, he was here all alone, which made him feel very vulnerable. He walked across the hall, trying to figure out where he kept the Pokémon. He noticed a faint light coming from a large window, and he could vaguely see the shapes of three Pokéballs. He cautiously walked to the glass, and saw the light coming from the various machines in the room.

He looked around and decided to go for it. He ran into the room, as fast and quiet as he could, and looked at the three Pokéballs. 'There's no time to waste now. I'll just have to choose one at random and hope for the best.' He picked up one of the Pokéballs, and turned around, about to make his escape, when he saw that he was not alone. Right in front of him stood the Kalos Pokémon Professor himself, blocking the doorway. "What in the world do you think you are doing?"


	2. Another chance

'Great, I already messed up before I could even leave the city. I couldn't even get a single Pokémon! Sycamore is probably going to send me back to Team Flare, but what happens then? How do I explain this to the other grunts? I can't go back, never. I have to convince him that I came here on my own, and not for Team Flare.'

Professor Sycamore flipped the light switch. "Since when does Team Flare organize solo missions? You always come in a group." The ex-Team Flare grunt looked at his feet, avoiding eye contact. He was too scared to face the Pokémon Professor directly. "I'm not part of Team Flare." Sycamore snickered, and turned around. "Yeah sure, your outfit really doesn't tell me otherwise. Follow me, please, and put that Pokéball back where you found it."

He decided that listening to what Sycamore said might be the only way to gain his trust. He placed the Pokéball back in its holder, and followed the Professor back to the hall. He saw that Sycamore walked upstairs, without looking behind a single time, to check if he was really coming after him. 'He's giving me a chance to escape. I could run away right now, and he would do nothing about it.'

He stopped in the center of the hall, and looked at the window. Then, he followed Sycamore up the stairs. He saw him going in one of the many rooms, but he left the door opened. He looked inside, and saw the Professor talking with a scientist. 'Why are they all awake so early? The sun isn't even up yet, and the citizens of Lumiose City are all still asleep, but the scientists in the Pokémon Lab are already active.' He took a deep breath and stepped inside the room.

Sycamore turned to the ex-grunt, and he could see a faint smile on his face. "I gave you the opportunity to get away, yet you didn't take it. That is very interesting for a Team Flare member." This time, he did look the Pokémon Professor right in the eyes: "As I said, I am no longer part of Team Flare. I left the organization to fulfil my dream of becoming a successful man. But I guess you won't believe that either?" Sycamore smiled at him. "Team Flare or not, you are certainly a unique young man. Tell me, what is your name?"

'My name...' The thought of his name made him shiver. "I don't have a name." Again, Sycamore smiled. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation a lot. "Clara, could you tell us the name of this boy?" The scientist started rapidly pushing buttons on her computer. "Of course I can! If I can trace the fingerprints on the Pokéball he touched, I will have his identity in no time!" She seemed way too enthusiastic about this, as if she had been waiting for this moment for years.

Sycamore got up from his chair, and walked to the printer on the other side of the room. He took the paper that was just printed, and looked at the information on it. "There we go. Elijah Zero, born and raised in Lumiose City. Parents, unknown. Other relatives, unknown. Well, at least we know your name now." He looked at Elijah, who was shaking heavily on his feet. His face had turned as red as his outfit. "Please... Never call me that again. I can't stand that name."

Professor Sycamore laughed as he sat back down. "Never mind that. You must know that I still cannot entrust you with a Pokémon quite yet, it is too dangerous. However, if you decide to stay here for the rest of the day, I might consider it. Clara could be your guide for today, and she will keep an eye out for anything suspicious. So, how does that sound to you?"

Elijah could not believe what he heard. 'I broke into the Pokémon Lab, attempting to steal a Pokémon. And still, after that, he will allow me to stay here?' The scientist looked at him hopefully. He suddenly realized that she didn't care if he was a Team Flare member or not. She didn't mind it at all, unlike everyone else. "That would be amazing." Sycamore clapped in his hands. "Then we have a deal. Clara, I will leave him with you for now, I have some other things to do."

The next hour, Clara showed him every corner of the Pokémon Lab, quite literally. Elijah tried to pretend he was interested, but that was really difficult. Eventually, she guided him to the final room. "This is our Pokémon Climate Resort. In here, we keep different species of Pokémon for research, while they stay here under the best conditions. Please be careful, as they might attack you. Some of them are really energetic, you know?" With a bright smile, she opened the doors, and Elijah saw the great environment inside.

It was as if they were in a beautiful park, the only difference being that there was a roof above their head. There were bushes and trees, a pond and even a tiny waterfall. And the best part was that there were Pokémon everywhere. Suddenly, he heard someone screaming from behind. "Clara, what are you thinking? You can't just bring a Team Flare member in the Resort, are you insane? Just wait until Sycamore hears about this!" Elijah looked over his shoulder, and saw a male scientist scolding Clara.

Clara's mood instantly turned from happy to angry. "Listen Brandon, Sycamore already knows about this boy. In fact, he was the one who told me to serve as a guide for today. So think before you start yelling like a child the next time, all right?" The scientist gave Elijah a sceptical look. "So that's how it is. Good guy Sycamore gives everyone a change, doesn't he? That will be his downfall one day, I'm calling it. Don't expect everyone to be like him, grunt. Sycamore is probably the most sympathetic man you will find in Kalos, the rest won't accept you that easily."

Clara punched his shoulder. "Don't talk like that! Can't you just go somewhere else, I'll take over from you." Brandon sniffed, got his stuff, and walked away. Elijah assumed that even scientists had problems with teamwork sometimes. When Clara turned around, she was once again happy and energetic. "Hey, it seems like you have some visitors!"

In front of Elijah, three Pokémon were staring at him, keeping a safe distance. He knelt down to tell them it was safe. Slowly, the middle one walked closer to him. Clara watched in amaze how good this former member of Team Flare could take care of Pokémon. "That is the only Fennekin we have been able to find. They seem to be a very rare species, so we are very proud of this one!" Elijah played a bit more with the Pokémon, and other Pokémon approached him shortly after. He spent the rest of the day playing with the various Pokémon, and before he knew it, it was already night again.

"I'm glad to see that you treat our Pokémon so well." Sycamore's voice startled him, as he hadn't seen him coming in. That was when Elijah noticed that it had turned dark outside, meaning that he spent many hours playing with the Pokémon. "Tomorrow, we will see what happens next, but first we must rest. We have an extra room where you can spend the night, so don't worry about that."

The Fennekin was sad that her new friend had to leave already. Elijah promised that he would come back tomorrow, which cheered her up a bit. However, when he laid in his bed, he couldn't fall asleep. He wanted to go back to the Pokémon, and play some more with them. 'Maybe I can just sneak in there, just for a short while. I'll be back before anyone notices I'm gone!'


	3. Intruders

Even though this was only his second time ever, Elijah quickly navigated through the halls of the Pokémon Lab, trying not to wake anyone up. Soon enough, he had found the doors to the Pokémon Climate Resort. Part of him felt bad for sneaking in like that, but he really wanted to see the many Pokémon again. As fast as he could, Elijah entered the room, and closed the doors behind him.

When he looked up, he saw a projected moon, together with countless fake stars. 'So the Pokémon Climate Resort also has a built-in environment simulator. That is really impressive.' When he looked across the large room, he realized that most of the Pokémon must also be sleeping right now. 'How could I forget that the Pokémon would be asleep? I guess I should go back to my room before anyone notices me.'

Right at the moment Elijah laid his hand on the doorknob, one of the ceiling windows shattered into pieces. Three mysterious people jumped down through it, and landed on the ground. Elijah's heart started racing. They had landed behind some bushes, so he couldn't see what they were doing very well. He decided to stay at the door, and try to figure out what they were doing here.

"Here's a bag, go get as many Pokémon as you can. We don't have much time, so hurry up!" Elijah recognized the voice of a girl. She sounded very commanding, so she must have at least some power over the others. He heard one of the burglars walking through the grass, and for a moment he thought about turning on the lights, but then he realized that he wouldn't stand a chance against them. 'I'm just alone, without anything or anyone to protect me. They are three criminals, possibly very skilled. I have to make sure that they don't notice me.'

Suddenly, the cries of Pokémon broke the silence in the room. One of the criminals must have woken the sleeping Pokémon up, causing them to panic. Loud noises came from all directions, and within a few seconds, the entire Pokémon Resort was in chaos. "You idiot, I told you to keep everyone calm! Look at what you've done, everything was for nothing! Come on, let's just retreat before anyone sees us here!"

Before Elijah could get in action, the lights in the Climate Resort turned on, showing the chaos to everyone. Elijah looked behind, and saw Sycamore standing in the doorway, with his hand at the light switch. He didn't look like he was going to do something about them, and he would just let the criminals get away. 'But wait, their mission failed, so they don't have any Pokémon. There is no reason to take action.'

"Shauna, wait up! I got at least one of them!" One of the criminals ran back to the others, holding a Pokémon in his hands. Elijah's eyes shot wide open, and he started running towards them. His mind hadn't even had the chance to evaluate the situation, but his body already reacted to it. He had to save that Pokémon, no matter what. The criminal, who had a short and chubby posture, reached the other two burglars, and he attached a rope to his waist. 'They are going to use those ropes to get back out! They must be connected to something on the roof, and they'll use it to escape!'

Elijah ran faster as he knew he could, his mind only focused on the safety of the Pokémon. When he looked closer, he saw that the burglar was holding a Helioptile, an Electric type lizard Pokémon. The Helioptile struggled to escape from his arms, but it was no use. The burglar was already hanging above the ground, slowly approaching the hole in the ceiling.

He jumped, and clutched onto the legs of a different criminal. For a moment, Elijah feared that the rope would break, but it seemed to hold their weight. "Trevor, look down! You've got someone hanging under you!" For some reason, the female criminal noticed him earlier, but it didn't matter. They were already outside, and Elijah let go of his legs. He stood on the edge on the Pokémon Lab itself, at least ten meters above the ground. A fall from that height could easily be lethal, and with the strong wind blowing, that scenario was very vivid for Elijah.

The criminals stood together, on the other side of the large hole in the windowed ceiling. Below them was the Pokémon Climate Resort, where Professor Sycamore tried to calm down all the panicking Pokémon. There was no way Elijah could get to them without falling into the pit. They would get away with the poor Helioptile, and he would just be standing here, helpless, waiting for someone to get him off the roof. Elijah felt the anger rising inside of him.

'There is nothing I can do to help them, but maybe Helioptile can do something. I just have to hope that he will obey me, even though I'm not his trainer.' Elijah made eye contact with the Helioptile, and the Helioptile looked back at him, with scared and wide opened eyes. "Helioptile, use Thundershock on the burglars!" The Helioptile had to think about that order for a while. Then, he started glowing brightly, and tiny sparks came from his body. Elijah heard Shauna yelling at the other criminal: "You idiot! Let that Pokémon go before it shocks us all!"

The Pokémon jumped out of his arms, straight over the gap, and landed on Elijah's shoulder. The three criminals quickly made their escape, while Elijah concerned himself over the Helioptile. 'They didn't take any Pokémon with them, so I don't have a reason to follow them. However, if I ever see them again, I will get them back for this. Helioptile seems to be fine though, so I'm happy.'

A few meters ahead of him, Elijah saw Professor Sycamore standing on the roof. He quickly ran up to him, with the Helioptile still on his shoulder. Sycamore was smiling at him, despite all that had happened. "Well then, Eli- eh, sorry, I wouldn't use that name anymore. Anyway, I think we have found your perfect partner for on your Pokémon journey!" Elijah's mouth fell open. He couldn't believe that after all this, he would still receive a Pokémon to travel with.

"But Professor Sycamore, what about the damage? I mean the broken glass and all..." Sycamore waved it all away, as if it was nothing: "Don't you worry about that, that's all my personal problem. Go back to bed, and catch some more sleep. You'll need it, especially after all these crazy events. And don't forget, tomorrow is the day your Pokémon adventure really begins!"


	4. Rejected

"_Get in the Pokémon Center and disable the machines" Lysandre's mission were never complicated. He would make sure that everyone would understand it, so that the plan could succeed. I will never forget that one mission, never in my life. I remember how we left from Lysandre Labs, straight to the back entrance of the Pokémon Center. I can still see how I looked through the window, as if it happened right before my eyes. There she was; the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She stood at the counter, while her Pokémon were healed up by Nurse Joy. Her long blonde hair, her bright blue eyes, just everything about her was perfect. She was so astounding, that I completely forgot about the mission, until one of my roommates dragged me away from the window. From that day, every time I walked outside, I would look for her, hoping that I could see her again. But I never got to meet her after all…_

"Why won't you accept my challenge?" Elijah stood right in front of Viola, the Bug type Gym Leader. He wanted to challenge her, and hopefully receive his very first gym badge, but Viola simply refused to battle him. "I don't trust anyone who is part of Team Flare. I'm sure that this is just a trick to distract me, while the rest of you steal my Pokémon. If you think I would fall for that, you were terribly mistaken." Elijah was furious. How many time did he have to explain that he is no longer a member of Team Flare?

At that moment, someone else joined the conversation: "Isn't it your job as a Gym Leader to accept any battle request you receive, no matter the challenger?" Elijah turned his head, and he immediately recognized the girl. This was the girl he saw during one of his many missions. The girl who he had been looking for all the time, yet he could never find her. And here she was, standing right next to him in the Santalune City Gym.

Viola was not very pleased with her sudden appearance: "Serena, what are you doing here? You left only five minutes ago, you have nothing to do here!" The beautiful girl calmly walked past Viola, and picked a hat from the table. "I forgot my hat, so I decided to come back for it, and then I saw you two arguing here. I just couldn't resist joining in." Elijah watched everything in awe. He still couldn't believe that the girl he had been dreaming of so many times, was standing right next to him. He felt like he could take on the world now.

Viola was focused on her camera, constantly trying to get the view right. It gave the impression that she couldn't be less interested. "Besides, battling you would only be a waste of time. Team Flare members never take good care of their Pokémon, so there's no way you could possibly defeat me!" At that point, Elijah snapped. He grabbed the camera and threw it on the ground, shattering it in countless pieces. Serena and Viola both looked at him, shocked by his sudden anger.

"All I want from you is to listen to what I have to say, but even that is too much for you! I am not part of Team Flare anymore, I left the group to follow my own dreams! I want to become a successful person, instead of a meaningless grunt! But I can't fulfill any of that if nobody gives me a chance! So please, allow me to fight you! I promise that it won't disappoint you!" Elijah breathed heavily, completely taken over by his own rage.

Viola was still shocked heavily by his rage. A hint of fear was even hearable in her voice: "Fine then, we will battle tomorrow. Right now, I need time to fix my camera, if that is even possible. Please leave the Gym via the back door." After that, she dropped on her knees and started to collect the pieces. Elijah felt guilty and wanted to help her, but Serena grabbed his hand and dragged him away from her. Once there were outside the Gym, she let go of his hand.

"You really have to change your attitude if you want to become successful. Destroying people's property is not a good way to introduce yourself to the world." Elijah vaguely heard Serena's words, but he was mostly caught up in her beauty. He knew that she was right, and he tried to focus on what she said. "I suppose you don't have any place to stay either? Come with me, you can stay at my house for the night." Once again, Elijah followed her.

'Serena is such a nice girl. I'm almost certain that she didn't even see me that time at the Pokémon Center, so I'm a total stranger to her. Yet, she is inviting me to her house, even providing me of a place to sleep!' Elijah's mind had turned into an unstoppable train of thoughts, rushing by at the speed of light. After a while, they reached Vaniville Town. Serena stopped at the main square and turned around. "Tell me, what Pokémon do you even have?"

Elijah grabbed his only Pokéball and threw it in the air. Helioptile was glad to be out again, and ran a few circles around Serena and Elijah before climbing on his shoulder. "This is my first and only Pokémon; Helioptile. I received him from Professor Sycamore after I saved him from a group of thieves." Serena looked at the Helioptile, who carefully reached his hand out for her. "Wow, you saved this little guy? I suppose you really are a good guy then. Anyway, I am sure that you can defeat Viola with him, but you need some training."

'Training. I haven't used Helioptile in a single battle yet, apart from the time on the Pokémon Lab. Serena is right, I really have to train a lot more if I want to win in battle.' Serena smiled at Helioptile. "Don't worry, I can help you. I have quite a few Pokémon myself, so I think I can find the perfect opponent for your little Helioptile. Let's do some training right now, before we head to my house!"


End file.
